PTML Customs Hands Over Seized Arms to NCCSALW

…Reaffirms Zero Tolerance for Smuggling

BY FUNMI ALUKO

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port and Terminal Multi-services Limited (PTML) Command, has formally handed over a cache of seized arms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), underscoring its unwavering commitment to anti-smuggling operations, legitimate trade, and inter-agency collaboration.

Speaking at the handover ceremony on January 30, 2026, Comptroller Joe Anani, Customs Area Controller of PTML Command, emphasized the significance of the exercise.

“This event underscores three very important areas of our function as a service. One, it expresses our anti-smuggling resolve at ensuring that prohibited items do not escape from our checks. Two, our commitment to ensure that only legitimate trade thrives within our borders. Three, our shared commitment to inter-agency collaboration, fostering cooperation,” he declared.

The seizures, made under the supervision of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR psc(+), comprised:

Five pistols of different make

One Crossman pump master rifle

132 Remington live cartridges

51 rounds of 9mm Lugar live ammunition

Four 9mm magazines

40 rounds of 9mm NIM FC 30-30 blank and hollow ammunition

118 empty 9mm shells

According to Comptroller Anani, “These arms and ammunitions were uncovered in 25 different occasions by our officers during examination of imported vehicles between 2022 to 2025.

The Customs boss reiterated that PTML remains a “no-go area for unlawful trade under any guise,” stressing that the command’s vigilance is a product of collective due diligence with sister agencies at the port.

He further highlighted the command’s alignment with international standards: “As a command, we have an unshaken commitment to implement the Revised Kyoto Convention, which is a World Customs Organisation (WCO) instrument for trade facilitation while using available manpower and technology to exercise the required control for import and export trade.”

Anani also pointed to the impact of the ongoing NCS Modernisation Project, noting that the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), popularly known as B’Odogwu, has significantly raised productivity. “I am pleased to announce that this command will receive scanners soon as part of the modernisation project, and our capacity to detect concealments, like these arms and ammunition, would be greatly enhanced,” he said.

Beyond security, the PTML Command has also recorded impressive revenue growth. Comptroller Anani revealed that as of January 28, 2026, the command had collected ₦44,058,849,416.65, surpassing the ₦40,497,594,223.89 collected in January 2025 by ₦3.56 billion — an 8.8% increase.

He attributed this success to stakeholder cooperation: “I must thank our compliant stakeholders for their cooperation at all times. You all are part of this command’s success story. Please keep it up.”

Concluding the ceremony, Comptroller Anani formally handed over the seized arms and ammunition to the NCCSALW South West Zonal Coordinator, CP Mustapha Abiodun Alamutu (Rtd.), for appropriate action. “On behalf of the CGC, I hereby formally hand over these seizures to the National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) for appropriate action,” he stated.